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Gina Leishman: This New York Life
On the late summer afternoon I visited composer Gina Leishman, we couldn't meet in her apartment because it was under repair. A pipe had burst so a friend was loaning her apartment to Gina for a few days; one of those little studio apartments that New Yorkers manage to transform into what seems like a sprawling flat. Nestled on a similarly charming tree lined street, it had the same cozy feel as her old apartment in the West Village, only ...
read moreRamiro Marziani: The Martian's Playground
We've heard those proverbs about the devil's playground, so what would the equivalent be for Martians? The evidence here would suggest a mix of the odd, wacky, exuberant and playful. Ramiro Marziani's hands are anything but idle throughout this whirlwind of a recording. One moment he's practically shredding with extra metallic crunch, the next it's Latin-tinged acoustic bliss. The aliens on this playground have obviously grown up enjoying the red planet's equivalents of Ralph Towner and Allan Holdsworth.
read moreThe Philly Pops Big Band with Terell Stafford and Guests at the Kimmel Center
The Philly Pops Big Band featuring Terell Stafford The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts Philadelphia, PA January 19, 2019 The Philly Pops wide-berthed orchestra includes some of the finest working jazz musicians in the city. The Pops' lead trumpet chair, Matt Gallagher, periodically assembles them as the “Philly Pops Big Band" for events such as the “Welcome America" July 4th celebration. This was the second of three performances of their first formal ...
read moreBinker Golding / Elliot Galvin: Ex Nihilo
As one half of Binker and Moses with drummer Moses Boyd, saxophonist Binker Golding has already made three keynote contributions to the London scene with the ferocious Dem Ones (Gearbox, 2015), Journey To The Mountain Of Forever (Gearbox, 2017) and Alive In The East? (Gearbox, 2018). It is impossible to overstate the significance of those albums. The 15-minute two-hander by John Coltrane and Elvin Jones on the title track of Coltrane's live album One Down, One Up (Impulse, ...
read moreQuinsin Nachoff's Flux: Path Of Totality
The title of Quinsin Nachoff's ambitious double album refers to the August 2017 lunar eclipse, when the moon passed in front of the sun and cast a shadow known as the “path of totality." This event also gave rise to a twin-headed metaphor reflecting both his band's creative evolutionary process and the current political and environmental discord in which (hopefully) light will triumph over darkness. Nachoff's approach is to employ his quartet as a nucleus for the album but also ...
read moreRing in the New
This is our first podcast of 2019 and, to celebrate, we're discussing albums by up-and-coming artists released in the last few months. From angular art-jazz with post production flourishes to hard-core live free-form blowing and experimental bass clarinet thrusting, we've got it all--even post bop with a Christian bent! Stay tuned for Mike dissecting Bab's holiday album and Pat apologizing for his vinyl addiction. Playlist Discussion of Telepatia Liquida's self-titled album (577 Records) 4:30 Discussion of Gabriel ...
read moreMichael Formanek Elusion Quartet: Time Like This
Bassist Michael Formanek has become a major presence on the NYC scene over the last decade, both as a forward-looking bandleader and a sideman. His two small-group offerings, The Rub And Spare Change (2010) and Small Places (2012), both on ECM, were justly feted and lead to the acclaimed big-band set The Distance (2016) by his Ensemble Kolossos which cemented his reputation. On Time Like This he rings the changes on the cast as he debuts his new ...
read moreMatana Roberts, the Organ in Jazz, and New Releases
This week a focus on Matana Roberts, a preview of the new album from Dave Douglas, other new releases and a focus on the organ, Hammond and otherwise, in jazz. Playlist Dave Douglas “Showing Up" from Engage (Greenleaf) 00:00 Chicago Edge Ensemble “A Pontificators Tale" from Insidious Anthem (Trost) 08:31 Matana Roberts, Josh Abrams, Chad Taylor “Hannibul" from Sticks and Stones (482 Music) 17:27 Matana Roberts “Love Call" from The Chicago Project (Central Control International) 24:50 Matana Roberts ...
read moreNYC Winter Jazzfest 2019: Captures the Magic of Old and New
Winter Jazzfest (NYCWJF) took New York City by storm, kicking off its 15th year with award-winning artists Bilal and Meshell Ndegeocello at (Le) Poisson Rouge (LPR). The energy at LPR was invigorating and truly indicative of what NYCWJF is all about. Bilal's performance was rousing and eclectic, opening up the space for what evolved into a surreal experience. Meshell's set re-envisioned a cohort of Prince classics ignited by Deatoni Parks' cleverly balanced avant-garde mixing and drumming that paired effortlessly with ...
read moreMarquès / Fortià/ Pannier: Bulería Brooklyniana
In Bulería Brooklyniana, the mystery and magic of flamenco music stews in the melting pot that is New York. It's a project that speaks directly to the form's rhythmic graces, European bearing, and mystical charms while also highlighting the flexibility and vision of a dynamic Franco-Catalan trio with a foothold in the Borough of Kings. Heading into Barcelona's Laietana Studios after a ten-day tour of Spain in the summer of 2017, pianist Albert Marquès, bassist Manel Fortià, and ...
read moreJoe McPhee/John Butcher: At The Hill Of James Magee
The music of saxophonists Joe McPhee and John Butcher has habitually been centered on place. By that I mean environment, the situation and setting for sound creation. We can go all the way back to McPhee's Tenor (Hat Hut, 1977), his ghostly recording laid down in a farmhouse in Adlemsried, Switzerland, or, more recently, the astonishing Sonic Elements (Clean Feed, 2012) solo concert at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival. Both recordings embrace and are affected by their environs. This concern with ...
read moreAnthony Jefferson: A New Orleans Vocalist At Home In The Dominican Republic
New Orleans native Anthony Jefferson began singing during childhood in an environment rich in blues, jazz, and R&B, later studying classical repertoire at the California Institute of the Arts and continuing at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Prior to forming his own band, Jefferson shared the stage with artists such as Mark Rapp, Willie Jones III, Mark Shelby, Bobby Wilson and Brent Rose, just to name a few. As soon as Jefferson moved to the Dominican Republic, ...
read moreAlbum Showcase
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East Of The Sun by Michael Kocour
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Jazz Story
I love jazz because it is the most diverse music genre. I was first exposed to jazz a long time ago. The best show I ever attended was Henry Threadgill's very very Circus at SJU jazzpodium in Utrecht. The first jazz record I bought was Coleman Hawkins Big Band live at The Savoy Ballroom 1940. My advice to new listeners is to attend as many concerts you can even though you may not know the musicians who are playing.
By Maarten Kerkhof
Member since: 2019
